Oconee County police blotter

Posted: Wednesday, May 06, 2009

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The Oconee County Sheriff's Office reported the following incidents:

Burglary: On April 20, deputy Lisa Price was dispatched to the construction site for Prince Avenue Baptist Church on Ruth Jackson Road, Bogart. A construction worker said that between April 17 and 20, someone cut a chain and entered the site. The thief removed two portable welders and 500 feet of copper welding lead. The theft could be related to a similar incident a month earlier.

Theft: On April 20, Capt. Jimmy Williams was working security at the Athens Regional Foundation golf tournament at Jennings Mill Country Club in Bogart. He took a report from Classic City Catering that some kegs of Terrapin beer were stolen overnight from the VIP tent. Three kegs were missing, along with two CO2 containers and the feeder lines, while another keg was emptied.

Threat: On April 21, deputy Jeremy Wasdin was dispatched to the North High Shoals Post Office on Hopping Road, where an employee said a woman had become agitated while complaining about a $600 money order that was lost in the mail. The woman became angry when she was told to submit paperwork for an investigation and that she wouldn't immediately receive a refund. She told the employee, "I know how to get my money back - I'll just ram my car into the building." She then said, "I have to leave before I hit you," and walked out. On her way out, the employee heard her say, "It's not your fault." Authorities went to a house in Morgan County to talk to the woman, but she wasn't home. The post office said it wouldn't press charges.

Arrest: On April 22, deputy Joe Williams was on patrol on U.S. Highway 441, approaching the Clarke County line, when he saw a two-door car traveling very slow. He continued on to check a prowling complaint in the White Oak neighborhood. After leaving, he saw the same car stopped in a safety zone near Crystal Hills Drive, with the driver outside standing at the trunk. The driver told Williams he had a flat tire. He smelled of alcohol and failed some field sobriety tests. Robert Paul Johnston, 28, of Eatonton was arrested and charged with DUI.

Arrest: On April 22, deputy Victor Green assisted the Northeast Georgia Regional Drug Task Force with executing a search warrant at a home on Atlanta Highway, Bogart. They seized some marijuana and arrested a resident, Zachary Wayne Baker, 30, charging him with misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Indecency: On April 22, Cpl. Bryan Yoder was on patrol near Hodges Mill Road, Bogart, when he saw a red car pull onto Autry Road. The driver got out and started to urinate in clear view of people driving on Hodges Mill. Yoder caught up with the driver as he was about to open a gate at a nearby park. Kennie Fountaine Brandon, 30, of Hampton Park, Athens, was arrested and charged with public indecency, driving without insurance and driving with a suspended license.

Theft: On April 22, deputy William Evans met at the sheriff's office with a woman who said one of her six foster children may have gone into her vehicle while it was parked in the driveway and stolen $150 cash and an iPod from a locked compartment.

Theft: On April 22, deputy William Evans was dispatched to a home on Copperville Drive, Watkinsville, where a man said someone stole $200 worth of sod from his front lawn overnight.

Arrests: On April 22, deputy Byron Smith was dispatched to Wal-Mart on Epps Bridge Parkway, where he took into custody Brian McMurry Ward, 30, and Lydia Lee Bjork Lund, 30, both of Sussex Drive, Athens, on suspicion of shoplifting.

Arrest: On April 22, deputy Timothy Nix was dispatched to a home on Robin Hood Road, Watkinsville, because of a suspicious white minivan with New York plates that was parked there. Two men came out when Nix arrived and said they were there visiting a friend. They led Nix into the basement apartment, where Nix smelled marijuana as he got close to the door. He saw two marijuana pipes and suspected marijuana. The house's owner said her daughter shared the basement with a friend. They consented to a search, during which Nix found numerous smoking devices, multiple ounces of marijuana packaged for sale, scales and rolling papers. Rebecca Tucker, 23, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession, while Tia Lachele Jackson, 27, was charged with felony possession.

Child pornography: On April 23, Sgt. Scott Underwood was dispatched to Wal-Mart, where he met with Forsyth County sheriff's investigators and an Athens-Clarke police officer. The investigators said a teacher in their county found a pornographic picture of male genitalia on 15-year-old female student's phone after they confiscated it from the girl for sending text messages. Investigators determined the photos were sent from an 20-year-old Athens man's phone. After checking his home, authorities found out he worked at Wal-Mart and confronted him there. The man admitted to sending the photos but said he thought the girl was 19. They also recovered from his phone nude photos of the girl that had been deleted at some point. The Forsyth investigators said they would report the incident in their county and follow up with Oconee officials.

Battery: On April 23, deputy TIm Nix was dispatched to a home on Sweetwater Circle, Athens, where an 18-year-old woman said her stepfather and mother were fighting, and that her stepfather struck the younger woman during an argument. Tommy Lee Morris, 45, of the home, was charged with battery under the Family Violence Act and cruelty to children.

Burglary: On April 23, deputy Tim Nix was dispatched to a home on Mayne Mill Road, Watkinsville, where someone had taken a backpack blower from a shop after busting the door.

Theft: On April 24, deputy Guy Brown was dispatched to a Polaris dealership on Malcom Bridge Road. The business owner said employees had found a gate was forced open and the all-terrain vehicle missing. The youth-type ATV was last seen there April 22.

Fraud: On April 24, a Bouldercrest Circle resident reported a fraudulent transaction on his banking account, in which a company had debited him for $373. He said an identical transaction took place a year ago.

Arrest: On April 25, deputy Joe Williams was headed west on Georgia Highway 316 on routine patrol when a car passed him as he was cruising at about 50 mph. Williams estimated the car was going 70 mph, but when the deputy tried to catch up to the car, their speeds increased to almost 90 mph. Williams noticed the car was weaving in the highway, so he activated his blue lights and stopped the car near McNutt Creek Road. The driver, who had red eyes, said in slurred speech that he knew he was speeding but had not been drinking. Williams, who smelled alcohol on the man, asked him to undergo some roadside sobriety tests, which he was unable to satisfactorily complete. Matthew M. Chae, 27, of Atlanta was arrested for DUI, speeding and weaving on the roadway. His blood-alcohol level registered 0.20.

Fraud: On April 25, deputy Jeremy Wasdin was dispatched to RaceTrac convenience store on U.S. Highway 441 after a clerk said a counterfeit $20 was found in the register. The clerk didn't know who passed the bill.

Assault: On April 26, deputy Michael Taylor was dispatched to a Garrett Road home where a woman said her boyfriend had hit her with a pillow and threw Pepto-Bismol on her. The boyfriend showed the deputy scratch marks on his arms and back from her fingernails. The warrant process was explained to the pair.

Theft: On April 25, deputy Michael Taylor was dispatched to Kroger on Epps Bridge Parkway, where a man had stolen potted plants for sale that were placed on display at the storefront. A witness saw a thin-built black man load some of the plants into a vehicle and drive off. The license plate was traced to a woman who lives in Winterville and drives a red Buick Electra.

The Watkinsville Police Department reported the following incidents:

Arrest: On April 24, police were dispatched to the Oconee County Department of Family and Children Services on Greensboro Highway, where Phillip Perez Barnes, 27, of Concord Lane, Madison, was arrested for aggravated stalking. Barnes had arrived at the office to confront a 25-year-old woman, who had an appointment there. The woman had a protective order out of Morgan County Superior Court against Barnes, which he violated by showing up at the office. Barnes was taken to jail.

Wreck: On April 25, police and medical units were summoned shortly after 7 p.m. to J&B Shell Foodmart on Greensboro Highway, where a 2002 Nissan Maxima had run across the store's parking lot and crashed through an air pump fixture. The Maxima had been forced off the highway by a 2003 Nissan Murano. Two people in the Maxima were injured and taken to a hospital in Athens. Monte C. Bores, 58, of Canton was cited for improper lane usage.

The Oconee County Fire Department responded to the following incidents: